How is it irrelevant?? Is that not what Dobson is doing when he implies that FDT is not a good Christian? The Bible allows us to judge standards of behavior as you say, but God is always the final judge.
In case anyone is wondering, I have been a Christian all of my life since my father was a minister. It just bothers me when I see other Christians criticizing other Christians when they may not have enough information to do so. For example, the comments I have seen about Joel Osteen on this board bear no resemblance to the Joel I watch on TV every week and the Joel that I went to hear in person in Raleigh, NC, in January 2006.
BTW, I do not agree that Matthew 7:1 is the most frequently misapplied scripture. I think the one about wives submitting yourselves to your husbands is because the husbands always forget to keep reading to find out that their obligation is to love their wives enough to die for her as Christ did for the church!
OK.
Non-Christians most often misapply Matthew 7:1, using it as a club to keep Christians from trying to stand up for their values.
Christian (men) perhaps most often misapply the verse about wives submitting, although frankly I don’t recall a single sermon or discussion in which the obligations of both husband and wife were not discussed together. Speaking as a Christian husband, I am well aware of my obligations in this regard.
The command to love one’s wife is not a directive to feeel a certain way, which would be illogical. It is a command to maintain a certain attitude towards her.
My comment about irrelevancy was that Dobson would not be violating Christ’s command here unless he exempts himself from being held to the same high standard he applies to Rudy. As far as I am aware, this is not the case.